A method for automatic sorting includes receiving an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence. A position of the code on the item is determined and, responsive to the position of the code, the location of the characters on the item is found. The characters are processed to determine a destination of the item.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for automatic sorting, comprising: receiving an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a layout relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence; determining a position of the code on the item; responsive to the position of the code, finding a location of the characters in the layout; and processing the characters to determine a destination of the item.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the items comprise parcels in shipment, and wherein the code and characters are printed on a label affixed to the item.
3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the code comprises a barcode.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the code comprises determining positions of first and second machine-readable codes on the item, and wherein finding the location of the characters comprises locating the characters in a coordinate frame defined by the first and second codes.
5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein locating the characters comprises finding a known layout of a marking pattern on some of the items in the sequence based on the positions of the first and second codes, and locating the characters in the known layout.
6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the marking pattern corresponds to a label affixed to the item, on which the codes and the characters are printed.
7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein processing the characters comprises verifying that the characters represent a valid destination for the item.
8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the respective identifying code identifies a sender of the item, and wherein verifying that the characters represent a valid destination comprises verifying that the determined destination does not comprises an address of the sender.
9. A method for automatic sorting, comprising: receiving an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence; determining a position of the code on the item; responsive to the position of the code, finding the a location of the characters on the item; and processing the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein the respective identifying code identifies a sender of the item, and wherein finding the location of the characters comprises finding a location based on a known layout of the characters relative to the code, wherein the known layout is associated with the identified sender.
10. A method for automatic sorting, comprising: receiving an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence; determining a position of the code on the item; responsive to the position of the code, finding the a location of the characters on the item; and processing the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein finding the location of the characters comprises: defining a plurality of topological classes, each class characterized by a common position of the code in a marking pattern on the items in the class and an area, relative to the code, in which the characters are located; assigning the item to one of the classes based on the position of the code thereon; and finding the characters in the area that characterizes the class to which the item is assigned.
11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein defining the topological classes comprises defining classes that are invariant under rotation of the marking pattern.
12. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the code comprises a barcode, and wherein each class is further characterized by a reading direction of the barcode relative to the marking pattern.
13. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the marking pattern corresponds to a label affixed to the item, on which the codes and the characters are printed.
14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the classes are further characterized by a shape of the label, and wherein assigning the item to one of the classes comprises assigning the item responsive to the shape of the label affixed thereto.
15. A method for automatic sorting, comprising: receiving an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable code identifying a sender of the item and with respective characters indicative of a destination of the item; reading the code on the item; and processing the characters on the item, responsive to the code and to the sender identified thereby, to determine a destination of the item.
16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the items comprise parcels in shipment, and wherein the code and characters are printed on a label affixed to the item.
17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the code comprises a barcode.
18. A method according to claim 15 , wherein reading the code comprises determining a position of the code on the item, and wherein processing the characters comprises finding a location of the characters responsive to the position of the code.
19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein reading the code comprises identifying the sender responsive to the code, and wherein finding the location of the characters comprises associating a layout of the characters relative to the code with the identified sender, and determining the location based on the known layout.
20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein associating the layout with the identified sender comprises maintaining, for each of a plurality of senders including the identified sender of the item, a respective record of one or more layouts used consistently by the sender to mark the code and characters on the items to be sorted, and selecting the known layout from the respective record.
21. A method according to claim 20 , wherein maintaining the respective record comprises processing multiple items sent by the sender so as to find the one or more layouts used consistently by the sender.
22. A method according to claim 15 , wherein reading the code comprises identifying the sender responsive to the code, and wherein processing the characters comprises verifying that the characters represent a valid destination for items sent by the identified sender.
23. A method according to claim 22 , wherein verifying that the characters represent the valid destination comprises verifying that the determined destination does not comprises an address of the sender.
24. A method according to claim 23 , wherein verifying that the determined destination does not comprise the address of the sender comprises comparing a postal code in the determined destination to a known postal code of the sender.
25. A method according to claim 22 , wherein verifying that the characters represent the valid destination comprises comparing words spelled by the characters to a predetermined list of keywords.
26. A method according to claim 22 , wherein verifying that the characters represent the valid destination comprises recognizing that the item has been returned from an original recipient of the item to the sender identified by the code, so that an address of the sender comprises the valid destination.
27. Apparatus for automatic sorting, which is configured to receive an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a layout relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, the apparatus comprising a processor, which is adapted to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find a location of the characters in the layout and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item.
28. Apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the items comprise parcels in shipment, and wherein the code and characters are printed on a label affixed to the item.
29. Apparatus according to claim 28 , wherein the code comprises a barcode.
30. Apparatus according to claim 27 , and comprising an imaging device, configured to capture an image of the item, wherein the processor is adapted to process the image in order to determine the destination of the item.
31. Apparatus according to claim 27 , and comprising an automatic sorter, which is operative to route the item to the determined destination.
32. Apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the processor is operative to determine positions of first and second machine-readable codes on the item, and to find the location of the characters in a coordinate frame defined by the first and second codes.
33. Apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the processor is further operative to verify that the characters represent a valid destination for the item.
34. Apparatus for automatic sorting, which is configured to receive an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, the apparatus comprising a processor, which is adapted to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find a location of the characters on the item and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein the respective identifying code identifies a sender of the item, and wherein the processor is operative to find the location of the characters based on a known layout of the characters relative to the code, wherein the known layout is associated with the identified sender.
35. Apparatus for automatic sorting, which is configured to receive an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, the apparatus comprising a processor, which is adapted to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find a location of the characters on the item and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein the processor is operative to assign the item, based on the position of the code thereon, to one of a plurality of topological classes, each class characterized by a common position of the code in a marking pattern on the items in the class and by an area, relative to the code, in which the characters are located, and to find the characters in the area that characterizes the class to which the item is assigned.
36. Apparatus for automatic sorting, which is configured to receive an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable code identifying a sender of the item and with respective characters indicative of a destination of the item, and comprising a processor, which is operative to read the code on the item and to process the alphanumeric characters on the item, responsive to the code and to the sender identified thereby, to determine a destination of the item.
37. Apparatus according to claim 36 , wherein the items comprise parcels in shipment, and wherein the code and characters are printed on a label affixed to the item.
38. Apparatus according to claim 37 , wherein the code comprises a barcode.
39. Apparatus according to claim 36 , and comprising an imaging device, configured to capture an image of the item, wherein the processor is adapted to process the image in order to determine the destination of the item.
40. Apparatus according to claim 36 , and comprising an automatic sorter, which is operative to route the item to the determined destination.
41. Apparatus according to claim 36 , wherein the processor is adapted to determine a position of the code on the item and to find a location of the characters responsive to the position of the code.
42. Apparatus according to claim 41 , wherein the processor is operative to identify the sender responsive to the code and to associate a layout of the characters relative to the code with the identified sender, so as to determine the location based on the known layout.
43. Apparatus according to claim 42 , wherein the processor is coupled to access, for each of a plurality of senders including the sender of the item, a respective record of one or more layouts used consistently by the sender to mark the code and characters on the items to be sorted, and to select the known layout from the respective record.
44. Apparatus according to claim 43 , wherein the processor is operative to create the respective record by processing multiple items sent by the sender so as to find the one or more layouts used consistently by the sender.
45. Apparatus according to claim 36 , wherein the processor is further adapted to verify that the characters represent a valid destination for items sent by the identified sender.
46. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer receiving an image of an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a layout relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, cause the computer to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find a location of the characters in the layout and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item.
47. A computer program product for automatic sorting, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer receiving an image of an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable code identifying a sender of the item and with respective characters indicative of a destination of the item, cause the computer to read the code on the item, and to process the characters on the item, responsive to the code and to the sender identified thereby, to determine a destination of the item.
48. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer receiving an image of an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, cause the computer to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find the location of the characters on the item and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein the respective identifying code identifies a sender of the item, and wherein the instructions cause the computer to find the location of the characters based on a known layout of the characters relative to the code, wherein the known layout is associated with the identified sender.
49. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer receiving an image of an item in a sequence of items to be sorted, each such item marked with a respective machine-readable identifying code and with respective characters in a location relative to the code that varies from one item to another in the sequence, cause the computer to determine a position of the code on the item and, responsive to the position of the code, to find the location of the characters on the item and to process the characters to determine a destination of the item, wherein the instructions cause the computer to assign the item, based on the position of the code thereon, to one of a plurality of topological classes, each class characterized by a common position of the code in a marking pattern on the items in the class and by an area, relative to the code, in which the characters are located, and to find the characters in the area that characterizes the class to which the item is assigned.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 10, 2000
March 19, 2002
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